octave

GNU Octave, a numerical computing language

TLDR

Start an interactive session (with GUI)

$ octave

Start an interactive CLI session without GUI

$ octave --no-gui

Run a script file

$ octave [path/to/script.m]

Evaluate an expression and exit

$ octave --eval "[diag([1,2,3])]"

Run a script quietly (suppress startup messages)

$ octave --quiet [path/to/script.m]

Run in batch mode (non-interactive, for scripts)

$ octave --no-gui --silent [path/to/script.m]

GNU Octave is a high-level interpreted language primarily intended for numerical computations. It provides a convenient command-line interface and GUI for solving linear and nonlinear problems numerically, and is largely compatible with MATLAB.Octave features extensive tools for matrix operations, solving systems of equations, numerical integration, statistics, optimization, and 2D/3D plotting. It can be extended with packages from Octave Forge and supports calling C, C++, and Fortran code.

PARAMETERS

FILE

Script file (.m) to execute.

--eval CODE

Evaluate CODE and exit (unless --persist is also given).

--gui

Start the graphical user interface.

--no-gui

Use the command-line interface instead of the GUI.

-q, --quiet, --silent

Suppress the startup message and version info.

-i, --interactive

Force interactive mode (useful when running via pipes or remote shells).

--no-init-file

Don't read the ~/.octaverc or .octaverc initialization files.

--persist

Stay interactive after --eval or running a script file.

--path dir

Add directory to the head of the function search path.

--jit-compiler

Enable the JIT compiler for accelerating loops.

--help

Display help information.

--version

Display version information.

INSTALL

sudo apt install octave

sudo dnf install octave

sudo pacman -S octave

sudo apk add octave

sudo zypper install octave

brew install octave

nix profile install nixpkgs#octave

CAVEATS

MATLAB compatibility is extensive but not complete; some MATLAB toolbox functions are unavailable or behave differently. Large matrix operations can consume significant memory. The JIT compiler is experimental in some versions.

HISTORY

GNU Octave was created by John W. Eaton beginning in 1988 as a companion to a chemical reactor design textbook. It was first released as a standalone application in 1993 and is developed as a GNU project.